McSweeney's Issue 24 (McSweeney's Quarterly Concern)

Apparently I can't review both issue 12 and 24 separately so here's the review for both. Issue 12 features 12 new short stories from 12 new ("undiscovered") authors, as well as 20-minute stories from many authors, and a novella by Roddy Doyle. The new stories are mostly very good, starting with a stunning story of a train robbery by Shann Ray. Rachel Sherman writes a perceptive and cutting hot-for-teacher story, while Andy Lamey does a hilarious take on living as Samuel Beckett, and how morbid existentialism translates to an actual career. Wythe Marschall writes a very fun surreal piece on different Frances (Cold France, Dark France, Slow France, Sponge France), and Ben Ehrenreich writes a stunning story about two dystopian lovers who come together by taking care of an abandoned squid. That story alone is worth the price of admission. Salvador Plascencia writes a deftly absurd border-crossing story, and James Boice has a great story of consequences coming one after the other like a Rube Goldberg machine. John Henry Fleming's short short about a general is just fine. There are a few lesser stories: Steve Steifel writes a sass-laden story about nothing, overwrought with tragedy as if tragedy is a plot. Andrea Deszo's is a 100% generic fish-out-of-water new-foreigner-in-America story, Sarah Raymont collects some musings, and Chad Simpson writes a certified underwhelmer. What's really unfortunate is Roddy Doyle's crummy novella--Doyle can be a terrific storyteller, but falls flat (read: inconsequential) here. The novella's an Irish colloquial snoozefest tracing the rise of a standard band and its page-consuming all-caps lyrics. Shame the space of the novella wasn't used for more 20-minute stories, because the 20-minute stories redeem the collection, with especially great pieces from David Ebershoff, Rick Moody, Douglas Coupland, Marc Nesbitt, Ryan Boudinot, and Aimee Bender. These are fun short shorts that apparently were written in only 20 minutes, and the wealth of objective quality given those conditions is really impressive. So, overall, this collection is a little soggy with deadweight, but far more good than bad, and the new discoveries are certainly well worth discovering. --- #24 is a neat issue, with a cool wraparound double-binding, one side a tribute to late surreal writer Donald Barthelme, the other including six stories all focused on the theme of trouble. The Barthelme section features many authors remembering Barthelme, including Robert Coover, George Saunders, Padgett Powell, Lawrence Weschler, and others, as well as two uncollected stories by Don. It's a good introduction and eulogy to a wonderful writer. The stories are mostly very good, the centerpiece of which is Joe Meno's fantastic story of Stockholm Syndrome--the actual 1973 event that gave rise to the phrase. Jonathan Ames has a fun detective story about a bored author becoming an unlicensed private eye and finding instantaneous trouble; Aaron Gwyn writes about

McSweeney's 24 was bound as a very cool double-issue, with one side being stories centering around "trouble", and the other side containing writer's remembrances of Donald Barthelme. I wasn't previously familiar with Barthelme's work, but the two uncollected stories published here make clear his influence on writers like George Saunders (whose tribute to and analysis of Barthelme is also here). His prose is considered and compact. And unpredictably weird, like Borges. Another great issue. McSweeney's is always recommended. You really should subscribe.

I just recently discovered this quarterly in an attempt to read some new authors and I am pleasantly surprised at the quality of this compilation. The editors at McSweeney's are clearly interesting, thoughtful people and they have put together some great stuff!

This is a keeper. You will reread it any times and always find something new. It is beautifully bound and has excellent material in it. The way it is put together is a surprise and it is well worth owning.